Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I haven't tried this snack yet but I keep hearing about it so I thought I'd pass it on. Apparently this is pro Team Garmin-Chipotle's secret on-bike snack that they put in their musettes. If it's good enough for them, it's probably good enough for me. I'll try it out this weekend on a 250km ride that I have coming up and let you know. One of my goals for the Warny this year is to eat whole foods made from scratch. No pre-packaged energy bars or gels. I think this will help with my sustained energy and keep stomach problems to a minimum.

What is the ultimate cycling snack you ask? Potatoes - which are a great source of complex carbohydrates, potassium, sodium, and they break down into a sugar that you body can use extremely quickly. Potatoes have an extremely high GI for quick energy absorption. They are easy to digest and are pretty convenient to carry in a jersey. Here's how Team Garmin-Chipotle has them prepared:

- Boil a handful of "new potatoes" for 10-15 minutes ("new potatoes" are a small type of potato).

- Let potatoes cool (while they are still hot you can skin them with your bare hands quite easily if you wish. The skin is high in fiber which is difficult to digest)

- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and add a pinch of salt.

- Grate Parmesan cheese onto the potatoes to taste.

- Wrap in foil. Packs of 2 potatoes work well.

To wrap your potatoes for easy eating, use Team Garmin-Chipotle's folding technique, which gives easy access while keeping hands and jersey pockets clean.

- Cut a 20cm-wide strip of aluminum foil and place 2 of the potatoes in the center.

- Fold one long edge over, and then back again halfway.

- Repeat with other long edge, creating a seam.

- Tightly wrap the outer edges around the back, leaving the seam exposed.

- Store in a jersey pocket. When hunger strikes, you can easily rip half the foil off at the seam and take a bite.